PM Modi pays tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on 79th birth anniversary

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi marking his 79th birth anniversary.

”On his birth anniversary, my tributes to former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji,” PM Modi said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Notably, Rajiv Gandhi was India’s youngest prime minister, who held office during 1984-89. He was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist organisation from Sri Lanka, during a public event in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in May 1991.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is currently in Ladakh also paid floral tribute to his father by a gleaming Pangong Tso lake on an overcast Sunday morning.

Speaking to reporters after laying floral tributes to a framed photograph of the former PM, Rahul recalled a conversation with his father in which Rajiv Gandhi told him that Pangong Tso is the most beautiful place on earth.

“I remember, when I was small, my father once returned from a visit to Pangong Tso and showed me some pictures of the lake. He told me that this is the most beautiful place on earth. During the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, I was scheduled to come to Ladkah but because of some logistical reasons, the visit had to be shelved. So I thought of a visit later and a longer stay here. I will also be visiting the Nubra Valley and Kargil,” said Rahul Gandhi.

During his visit, Rahul was accompanied by Vikar Rasool Wani, president of the Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee and several other party officials and workers.

Earlier, in a post on the social media platform ‘X’, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Papa, the dreams you had for India are shown from these priceless memories. Your mark is my way – understanding the struggles and dreams of every Indian, listening to the voice of Mother India.” Rahul embarked on a bike ride to Pangong Tso in Ladakh on Saturday.

Likewise, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi paid floral tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 79th birth anniversary at ‘Veer Bhumi’ here in the national capital on Sunday.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Robert Vadra and Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, who arrived soon after Sonia Gandhi, also paid homage to the former Prime Minister at his memorial this morning.
Party leaders and workers also paid tribute to Rajiv Gandhi outside Veer Bhumi earlier today.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is on a four-day tour to Ladakh remembered his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “Papa, the dreams you had for India are shown from these priceless memories. Your mark is my way – understanding the struggles and dreams of every Indian, listening to the voice of Mother India,” he said in a post on ‘X’ formally Twitter.

A prayer meeting is being held at the banks of Pangong Lake to mark the 79th birth anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi today.

Earlier yesterday Congress leader Rahul Gandhi embarked on a bike ride to Pangong Lake in Ladakh to celebrate his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s birthday on August 20.

Taking to the social media platform, Instagram, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “On our way to Pangong Lake, which my father used to say, is one of the most beautiful places in the world.” Rahul Gandhi arrived in Leh to begin his two-day visit to the Union Territory on Thursday but his tour was extended till August 25, party sources said.

Rajiv Gandhi took over the charge of the Congress in 1984 following the assassination of his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He became India’s youngest Prime Minister at the age of 40 when he assumed office in October 1984. He served as the Prime Minister of India till December 2, 1989.

Born on Aug. 20 :in 1944, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

-ANI